Jeffrey Edwin Cranson, who worked on Sitka’s trails and ball fields and made many friends in the two years he lived here, died March 29 in Sterling, Mass. He was 39.
Jeff Cranson
He had been diagnosed with stage four melanoma in January that spread throughout his body and brain. Although Jeff had the love and support of family and friends, he was never presented with a fair fight.
Services were held April 2 at the First Church in Sterling, where he had been living the past two months.
Jeff was born March 16, 1977, in Leominster, Mass. He graduated from Wachusett High School and then Worcester State University.
He was working as a kayak guide in Valdez in 2014 when he was hired by Lynne Brandon of the city Parks and Recreation Dept.
“One of the best decisions I ever made was to hire him,” Brandon said.
One task was maintaining a new $6 million synthetic turf baseball facility along with 10 other city ball fields, she said. He also did trail work, landscaping and park maintenance “with skill, diligence, humor and with his fabulous laid-back attitude.”
He also was active in Sitka Trail Works and was a board member until he resigned following his cancer diagnosis.
Fellow Trail Works members described him as “very respected and beloved,” and a “humble, authentic guy with a wry, quick sense of humor” and a smile that could light up a room.
Jeff was always one to share in a laugh, pass along a kind word, or listen with compassion, friends said. His love of the outdoors was surpassed only by his love for family and friends, each of whom was made a better person through his kindness and love.
Jeff will be greatly missed by family and friends, including his mother, Maureen M. Cranson (McIntyre) and Robert C. Decker; his father, Donald E. Cranson and Cynthia Collard; his fiancé, Alexandria N. Najduch, of Sitka; his sisters Sarah Marrone (Cranson) and her husband Edward, and Kristen Nelson (Cranson) and her husband Erik; nieces and nephews Kylie, Sydnie, Allie, Luke and Caden; many aunts and uncles, cousins and more friends than one could count.
He was preceded in death by his grandparents and Aunt Peggy Brodrick.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations be sent to Sterling Land Trust, P.O. Box 106, Sterling, MA 01564; or Sitka Trail Works, 801 Halibut Point Road, Sitka, AK 99835.
The family thanked “the caring staff at Brigham & Women’s Hospital, Spaulding Rehabilitation Center, Dr. Patrick Ott, Dana Farber Melanoma Center, Meri Viano (family advocate) and all those who helped us over the past two months.”
